


The Non-Compliant Ones.

by Fran1632



Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-01 06:13:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8612392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fran1632/pseuds/Fran1632





	

Angelique Le Chien was not a woman to be trifled with. She new what she wanted and got it when and where she wanted it. She liked fine jewels, fine wine, fine foods, fine clothes and fine men. She also knew what she didn't like and right now she was chained to a man she distinctly did not like.  
Illya Kuryakin was slowly coming back to consciousness. He didn't rush to move or open his eyes; having learned from past experience that doing so made things worse. He was aware that another person was lying next to him and that they were chained together. He was not however aware of whom it was. He did know that it wasn't his partner. For one his partner didn't wear perfume and second, he would have had the chains off of them already. He let out a deep sigh and turned to look who his bed mate was. He opened his eyes, then quickly squeezed them shut.

"It's about time you wake up!" Angelique said, glaring at Kuryakin. "I've been waiting for ever to get up." When he didn't reply she poked him with a finger until he opened his eyes again.

"What kind of hell is this? Illya asked. He sat up and regretted it right away as the pounding in his head increased exponentially. He let out a groan. 

"Don't worry, the pain will go away in a bit." He glared at her but said nothing. Finally, he moved. They weren't on a bed but a pile of rugs in a dusty old and abandoned building. Quite the different place from where he remembered being last. As he stepped away he was yanked back by Angelique. He flopped back down on the rugs but jumped up quickly.

"Don't do that again Angelique!"  
"Don't think you can pull me around where ever you want to go! I won't have my wrist cut and bruised by the likes of you!" Illya took a step then stopped and turned to her, inclining his head in the direction he wanted to go. She huffed then came to his side. They headed towards a door in the wall across the room.

"Have you seen anything of Napoleon?" 

"If I had, do you think we'd still be chained together?" Illya conceded she had a point. Reaching the door, he pushed Angelique behind him; ignoring her heavy sighs. It wasn't locked. He eased the door open and poked his head out low. A single shot rang out. It ricocheted off the door jamb above his head sending him quickly back inside. He slammed the door shut. As he looked around trying to formulate a plan, a male voice called from outside.

"Mr. Kuryakin! You and your lovely friend are my guests...." 

"And exactly who might you be?"

"You needn't worry about that. As I was saying you and your companion are my guests. I have been watching you for some time now." He exchanged a look with Angelique. She called out.  
"What about me?"

"You my lovely lady, are simply a bonus. A distraction shall we say,"  
"For what?"  
" You'll learn soon enough what is expected of you both. For now, please go to the table against the back wall and change into the clothes we have provided for you. I'm sorry to say we were not prepared for you my dear so we made do with what was available. I do hope you will forgive us. You have ten minutes or we will come and drag you out in whatever your state of dishabille.

They approached the back wall cautiously. On the table were pants and combat boots, hats and jackets. Illya grabbed the pants and gave a pair to Angelique . He began undressing and she let out a squeak.

"What are you doing?"

"What I have been told to do."  
"Here in the open.....in front of me?" Illya stared at her unbelievingly.  
"Angelique, may I remind you that you have stripped me to my underwear on more than one occasion to torture and annoy me. You never had a problem with state of undress before."

"Yes...well..this is different."  
"How?"  
"Because I have to undress in front of you!"  
"Sooo......."  
"I don't like you."  
"I feel the same about you, but I'm not going to be dragged out of here semi-naked because of you." With that said, he dropped his pants and put on the new ones then sat and started pulling on his boots. Angelique turned away from him and hiked up her skirt and pulled on her pants. Illya watched her from the corner of his eye and had to laugh. He never thought of Angelique as being bashful, but he turned himself away to try and give her some privacy. He turned back to her when he heard her utter a most annoyed sigh. He couldn't help but laugh as he took in the too baggy pants and black boots combined with the look of disgust on her face. She glared at him and was about to say something when the door opened. The sun was behind the figure so there was no telling who he was. But the rifle he was holding left nothing to the imagination. He stepped forward and another man came into the area and approached them. At gun point, he unlocked the cuff from Angelic and ordered them to finish dressing. Once done, and cuffed, he motioned them towards the door and out into a courtyard. 

"Welcome Mr.Kuryakin. It's finally nice to meet the man who killed my little girl face to face" Illya faced the tall dark man. He quickly ran his face against his memory and came up with no recognition. There was no familiarity. He glanced at Angelique who gave her head a slight shake. 

"You have me at a disadvantage. I don't know you but you say you know me. You say I killed your little girl? I believe I would recall doing such a thing." 

"Well now technically it wasn't you per se, but your organization. I believe you are one of its best operatives. You were involved in an altercation at the Nyman theater some two months ago. You and your partner and a team of agents took part in a gunfight that killed three people and injured quite a few innocents. Isn't that correct?"

Illya hesitated. He remembered what had occurred at the theatre. He and Napoleon were to meet a defecting scientist from THRUSH and escort him back to UNCLE Hq. It was a simple enough mission but THRUSH had taken umbrage with the traitor and come after him with a vengeance. They had opened fire just as the theater was letting out. They had no regard for the innocent people and used them as protection and diversions to get their man. In the end, the scientist had been wounded, three Thrush were dead along with three theater goers. One was a young girl of sixteen. Illya didn't know her name 

"Yes I was there. It was a shame that anyone was killed. But U.N.C.L.E wasn't solely responsible for the casualties. There was another agency, THRUSH that came in and initiated a gunfight." 

"Oh I know all about THRUSH. I will be dealing with them in due time." Illya resisted the urge to look at Angelic. Their host was obviously unaware that he had one of THRUSH's better agents in the palm of his hand. Angelique simply stared straight ahead without even acknowledging what had been said. The man took a step closer to Illya and stared hard at him. "My name is Christian W. Staller. I am the man who is going to hunt you down and kill you like the animal you are. You probably don't even know what her name was do you?" 

Illya new the man's name. He was wealthy beyond imagination. He was known for his generosity and humanitarian work. The man who stood in front of him was angry and in pain. A father unable to come to terms with the loss of a child. Suddenly Staller stepped up to Illya and screamed in his face. Demanding he tell him the name of his child. When he couldn't provide the answer Staller hit him across the face. Illya fell to his knees, stunned by the blow. He was grabbed by the hair and jerked back to his feet. Staller once again was in his face screaming. "Her name was Lauren. Lauren Patricia Staller. You killed her and I am going to kill you." He pushed Illya away from him and turned to one of the men standing nearby.  
" Hanley. Get them ready, then set them free." Turning back to Illya and Angelique he said,"I hope you can run. I want to enjoy the hunt. Don't bother hiding. I'll find you no matter what."

Angelique rushed forward. "Why include me. I had nothing to do with this. I'm not with U.N.C.LE.." 

"Sorry little lady. Collateral damage. I believe that is what the victims were called." He turned and walked away. They were left with 2 men and Hanley. He motioned for them to follow him. They were brought to a small shed where a fire was being stoked. "Put your arms on the bench. The ones with the cuff." Doing as they were told, they watched as a cup was removed from the fire and brought to them. With a small dipper, the stoker filled the lock on the cuffs. Ending any possibility of picking the locks and freeing themselves. Next, they were loaded into a jeep and driven into the forest. They travelled for the better part of an hour before the driver pulled over. Ordering them out of the vehicle, Hanley tossed a backpack at them. He tapped the driver to move and he made a u-turn. He stopped in front of them and Hanley smiled at them and said. "Run." He laughed and the jeep took off. 

The forest was quiet. Not even a breeze moved the leaves. The temperature was cool. Illya watched the jeep drive off then bent to pick up the backpack. Angelique, who had been incredibly quiet throughout everything, finally spoke.

"Wonderful! What are we going to do now? Where are we going to go?" Illya looked at her for a moment then moved to a fallen log. He sat down and opened the backpack and rooted around. He came across some food rations and some simple survival items. He let out a sigh and looked at Angelic again. She stared back at him. 

"We need to make a plan." 

Napoleon Solo had waited long enough. He figured Angelique had sent them on another wild goose chase with false information. He didn't want to think of how much his partner was going to tease him about this. He had reached the rendezvous point and waited 20 minutes before pulling out his communicator. When he had tried to raise Illya, a beeping from a nearby bush had caught his attention. He circled it and came across Illya's communicator and a purse. He had a sinking suspicion he knew who they belonged to. Sure enough the wallet from the purse held Angelique's identification. He quickly contacted head quarters and told Alexander Waverly what had happened. Raymond Styles was wearing out the carpet in front of his desk. He chewed at his nails when he wasn't running his hands through his hair. He couldn't believe he had lost his boss. One minute she was fixing her lipstick and the next she was gone. He didn't know how it happened or why but he was sure U.N.C.L.E. was involved.

"Let's go over it one more time." Illya said through clenched teeth. "We will make our way back to the compound where we will remove these shackles and find the communications room. There we will contact Napoleon and make arrangements for rescue. Any questions?"

"Just one. Why do we contact your partner?"

"Because I don't trust your people."

"I don't trust yours. Napoleon, for whatever reason, is fond of you and would do almost anything for your safe return."  
"Whats the matter Angelique, afraid your feminine charms will fail you?"  
"No! I just don't feel like being a guest of U.N.C.L.E. for any extended period of time."  
"You have my word that you will be far far away before I meet up with Napoleon"  
"And I am to believe you because........"  
"You have no choice." She glared at Illya who smiled and started back towards the compound. She reluctantly followed and decided to formulate her own plan of escape and rescue.

They had been walking in silence for almost an hour when Angelique decided she couldn't take another step. She was exhausted and her feet were sore beyond compare. She stopped abruptly and grabbed the chain and yanked. Illya spun around and glared at her as he rubbed his wrist. "What?" "I'm tired." "so?" "So I'm tired and need a break." Illya rolled his eyes and gave a long sigh. He sat down against a large rock and rooted through the backpack and found some granola bars. He offered one to Angelique who grabbed it and tore it open. She was half way done before Illya had even opened his. He took a piece and handed the rest to her. She looked at him with narrowed eyes. He popped his piece into his mouth and took a swig from one of the water bottles. He passed it to her and she gratefully took a huge gulp. She sat back with a sigh and closed her eyes. Illya let her rest. He figured at the rate they were moving they would arrive back at the compound before dark. He would rather wait here than risk being discovered in the bushes around the perimeter.He made sure Angelique wasn't looking and checked his left side. He had taken a hard kick just before he had been drugged and suspected a cracked rib. He leaned back and rested his head against the rock. He too was exhausted. He closed his eyes, listened to the noises around him and relaxed.

She awoke to voices. Several male voices. Voices and the sounds of bushes being shaken and thumped. She slowly moved her head to the left then right and only saw Illya Kuryakin slumped over next to her. She moved cautiously and quietly up against him and nudged him with her shoulder. He struggled awake and hissed in pain. He glared at her and she signaled him to be quiet. He then heard the men and sat up quickly. They listened for a moment then breathed a little easier as the searching seemed to move away from them. Not sticking around long enough to make sure, they slipped away further from the road and kept heading for the compound. Once they felt they had put enough distance between them and their hunters, Illya slowed their pace and stopped. 

He was breathing heavy and each breath hurt. Angelique looked him up and down critically.  
"How many?" She was referring to his ribs.  
"Two." he replied. "A third bruised. One broken the other fractured." Without a word she went behind a tree and removed her corset. She came back and thrust the garment at him. Illya took it and looked at her questioningly. "Ah.....thank you?"  
She rolled her eyes and grabbed it back from him. "Take off your shirt," Illya smirked.  
"Really Angelique, here, now?"  
"Don't be vulgar Kuryakin. I need you to get me free from here and you can't do a proper job with your ribs moving everywhere." He sighed and took off his shirt. Angelique couldn't help but gasp at the scarring and bruising on Illya's torso. He glanced up at her and she made herself concentrate on the job at hand. It was a tight squeeze but it would be good for the ribs.  
"You women voluntarily wear these things?" Illya asked as he put his shirt back on.  
"Always want to look good for our man."  
"Napoleon?"  
"I don't kiss and tell darling." Illya laughed and started heading back to the compound. Angelique tripped several times and he finally grabbed her hand to keep her steady. She tried to pull away but he turned and glared at her. They walked another 20 minutes and the compound could be seen through the trees. They dropped to the ground, hiding behind some rocks and bushes.  
"Now what do we do?" Angelique asked.  
"We are going to make our way to that shed with the forge and get rid of these cuffs. Then I'm going to circle around to the shed with those antennae over there." Illya pointed to a small green shed across the yard. "When I signal you, you will stagger out into the open. The diversion you cause will allow me to get in there and send a message to U.N.C.L.E. to send help." Angelique was looking at him with a raised eyebrow and incredulous look. "What?"  
"Do you actually think I'm going to turn myself in while you send for back up?"  
"Do you have a better idea?"  
"Why don't I go to the communication shed and send a message to my people."  
"Because they want to kill me," Illya said through clenched teeth.  
"Well, that's not my fault!" She crossed her arms and glared at Illya. He let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. He knew there was nothing he could do but bring her with him.  
"Fine!" he hissed. "We'll both go to the shed and contact our own people. We will give separate locations for extraction and be done with it." Angelique stared hard at Illya for a moment then gave a sigh of her own.  
"Fine. But don't even try anything or I'll have my people hunt you down." With a role of his eyes, Illya led the way. around the perimeter of the camp. They entered the small shed where they had been cuffed. The small forge was out. No flame had been in it for some time. Removing the chains was the easier thing to do. Finding bolt cutters they worked together and freed themselves.

They came upon the communication shed and Illya maneuvered himself up to the window and cautiously looked in. They were in luck. There was no one at the radio. The room was empty. Illya climbed through the window first. Angelique followed close behind. "I'll watch the door while you send out your signal." She quickly relayed their location to T.H.R.U.S.H central then moved back to the window. She was almost completely through when Illya turned and saw her escaping. He made a sound of disgust and rushed to the radio, contacting U.N.C.L.E. Just as he was finishing, he heard voices approaching and rushed to the window. He was half way out when he felt a hand wrap itself around an ankle and pull. He fell back into the shed onto his damaged ribs and lay gasping on the ground. The men surrounding him stepped back as Staller entered the shed. He smiled down at Illya then viciously kicked him in the head. He aimed his foot again but Hanley stepped forward and stopped him.  
"You don't want to damage him too much. It'll take away from the hunt." He smiled at Staller and signaled his men to put Kuriyakin in the jeep.

Angelique watched them throw Illya back into the jeep and head back into the forest. She set off at a run trying to figure out where they would take him. She stayed hidden in the trees along the road. Suddenly she heard the jeep. It was coming towards her. She ducked down and watched it go by. Kuryakin was no longer with them. Napoleon Solo was not amused. There had been a very brief message from Illya that had made little sense followed by contact by a Raymond Styles. Styles was a personal assistant to Angelique le Chien. According to him he had information regarding Illya's where abouts and wanted to join forces in a rescue attempt. Solo didn't buy it. Now he stood in a small park down from U.N.C.L.E. head quarters with a tactical team waiting on his signal to move in and apprehend this Styles character. Once they got their hands on him, they'd shake him enough for any and all information he had to spill out plus some. Raymond Styles spotted Napoleon Solo as soon as he got out of the car. He signaled his men to fall in behind him and he headed towards the U.N.C.L.E. agent. Five paces away, he and his men were surrounded by several large individuals. He smiled and nodded at Solo who merely turned on his heel and headed back to head quarters.

Illya was lying on his back trying to focus when Angelique found him. She looked down at him expectantly.  
"What?" he finally asked.  
"Are you going to lie here all day?"  
"I was considering it."  
"Well Staller is still planning his hunt so you may want to rethink that plan." Illya groaned and slowly sat up. He wasn't sure what was worse; his head or his ribs. He decided it was a tie when he finally managed to stand up. Angelique picked up the back pack that had been left behind and grabbed a hold of Illya's hand and pulled back away from the road. They moved along silently for several minutes until Illya stopped. He was breathing heavily and sweating. Angelique gave him the canteen and he pulled a long swallow of water.  
"We need to keep moving." she said as she looked around. "I'd like to find some shelter before night time. It looks like we're in for some nasty rain soon."  
"Of course we are." Illya said with a sarcastic tone. "It wouldn't surprise me if we are set upon by locusts as well." Angelique stared at him and frowned. "That's a little dark even for you."  
"Sorry. I am not at my best and it is Napoleon that has all the luck."  
"Well darling you're lucky today."  
"Oh and how do you figure?"  
"I'm here." She grinned at him and set off pulling him in her wake. Illya cocked an eyebrow and muttered to himself. "I was speaking of good luck."  
"I heard that Mr. Russian" Angelique chided. He couldn't help but smile.

Napoleon Solo was annoyed and confused. Raymond Styles had given him all information he had regarding his missing partner. He had also brought to Solo's attention that Angelique was missing and he was willing to help U.N.C.L.E. get their man back if they helped them get their woman. Napoleon couldn't figure out what angle Styles was playing at. He left the interrogation room and headed for Alexander Waverly's office. Once there he laid out a plan he had been thinking about and got Waverly's consent to employ it. He made his way back to Styles and explained exactly what was going to happen and what he was going to do.

Angelique and Illya found a small cave with an out cropping of rock and bushes hiding it from the road that had turned into nothing more that a dirt path. They had gathered pine boughs to put on the floor and leaves to help make things a little more comforting. Thunder had begun rolling down from the mountain just before the last of the sun disappeared. They sat in the dark, afraid to light a fire and risk being seen. They ate a granola bar and sipped at the water. Illya let go a long sigh and winced. His ribs ached and there were drums still beating in his head. He leaned back and closed his eyes. Angelique leaned over and placed her hand on his head checking him for fever. He shook off her hand and glared at her. She backed off, raising her hands in surrender. She searched the back pack and found some aspirin in the first aid pack and handed them to Illya. He looked at her and then the pills.  
"Oh for heaven sake Kuryakin, just take the damn aspirin. If I wanted to kill you I would find a more entertaining way to do so." Illya gave her an eye roll and took the pills."I'll take first watch" he said. She didn't argue with him and settled down on the make shift bed. She was soon asleep and Illya relaxed a little. He was on edge with Angelique around. He had disliked her from the moment they'd met and over time had cultivated a fine hatred of her and her methods. She had done so as well with him. 

The rain began shortly after sunset and continued throughout the night. When morning came it was still raining and mist lay across the forest ground. Illya had rested lightly throughout the night and was stretching his stiffened muscles when he heard the noise of an engine coming towards them. He stepped out of cover and tried to see what was happening. As he watched a jeep came into view with five men riding it. They were all armed with riffles. Some had knives in their belts and one had a crossbow with a full quiver. They were well prepared for the hunt. He turned back to where Angelique was and woke her. She was awake immediately and heard the hunters. Illya motioned her to follow and he moved further into the trees away from the path and the hunters. When he felt they were far enough he turned to Angelique and spoke.  
"We need to cover our tracks or we will be caught in no time."  
"We can't go too far. I told my team to home in on the radio signal back at the compound."  
"Then we need to head back towards the compound. We've lost the element of surprise. They'll be watching for us. The rain and mist might help but not much. They look like seasoned hunters. We need to get as close as possible to the camp so we can be found." He winced as his ribs caused him severe pain. Angelique saw this and moved closer and grabbed his shirt. Illya yanked it away and gave her a wicked look. She let loose a huge sigh and rolled her eyes. "Look Kuryakin, I just want to see if I can tighten up the corset. It will help even just a little" Illya let her check the corset and waited as she tightened the fastenings. He had to admit that the extra pressure did help with the pain. She pulled his shirt back down and before he could react she placed a hand on his forehead. He was burning up. She produced two more aspirin which he grudgingly took.  
"If you are done nurse, may I suggest we get a move on?" He didn't wait for an answer. "He started to make his way down towards the river he had seen when he was first dropped off. "We will walk through the river for a distance then move to the other side. It should slow them down and give us some time to find a hide out. We can wait it out until we're rescued."  
They reached the river and stopped. The water was moving faster with the water level having increased with all the rain. Slowly they made their way down the bank trying not to slip. They stood on the edge of the water searching for a safe place to enter the water and make their way across. Debris from upstream bobbed on top of the water. Angelique stepped up next to Illya and suddenly the earth gave way and they splashed into the river. They moved with the current grabbing at each other and trying to get a foothold. But the rocky river bed was too slippery for any purchase and they continued downstream. They finally caught a break and grabbed at a tree that had fallen part way into the river. Illya pushed Angelique onto the bank and pulled himself up on the tree. It slowly began to rotate then gave up its roots and began moving with the water. With Illya in tow. He pushed off back into the water and moved around the slow moving tree and was suddenly caught by a large floating branch in the mid-sect. The pain was overwhelming as his injured ribs flared. He saw spots before his eyes and couldn't catch his breath. He began to pass out; everything moving in slow motion. The last sensation he had was of slipping under the water; then it all went black. 

Napoleon had not slept very much in the last twenty-four hours. Now he tried to force his tired eyes to see if he could spot a hunting camp from the window of the helicopter he was flying in. Raymond Styles sat in the back seat on the opposite side looking out his window. The misting rain made it hard to see anything below. Napoleon finally signaled for the pilot to land in a clearing they had seen when they had made their approach. A second helicopter landed in an adjacent meadow. In total there were 10 men plus Solo and Styles. They regrouped under a copse of trees and went over the plan they had agreed to. They would separate into two groups of six and search using a grid pattern that had been made up using the coordinates they had received from Angelique and Illya. Unbeknownst to the U.N.C.L.E. team, Styles had not given to them the real coordinates. They had changed the numbers so that they would be searching some ten miles from the actual area where Angelique would be waiting - with U.N.C.L.E's second top agent. They were hoping to salvage this affair and come out of it successful. Even as they headed out a T.H.R.U.S.H. helicopter was making its way to a designated pick up point.

Napoleon watched as Styles and his men moved out. When they finally were out of view he signaled two of his men to follow them. He didn't trust them and he definitely didn't trust Angelique. He and his men moved out and headed towards the coordinates they had received from Kuryakin's signal. Napoleon suspected that Angelique had set a trap for one or both of them. Somehow it had backfired and she was probably mad as a wet hen and desperate to turn this debacle to her advantage. He wouldn't be happy until he had Illya back by his side. 

Hanley was crouched down looking at the tracks that Illya and Angelique had left. Staller and his men were getting impatient. "Looks like they headed towards the river," he said standing up."This rain is making it hard to follow them. They're smart. They double back every now and again and confuse the tracks. Once they get across the river there's no telling which way they'll go." "I thought you were the best tracker," Staller said testily. "Animals not humans." Hanley answered and turned away. "We'll go down to the river and see what we can. I suggest we then go back to camp and try to pick up their trail in the morning. The rain will probably let up and it'll be easier."  
"No!" screamed Staller."We keep going. I'm not giving them any opportunity to get away. I want that Kuryakin as dead as my poor Lauren."

Illya couldn't clear his eyes of mud. He was coughing and could taste blood. His body felt like it was on fire. Angelique was trying to get him to stand and keep moving but was having no luck. He finally stopped coughing but began vomiting until he thought he would pass out again from the pain. Angelique was wiping his face and splashing water in his eyes which finally cleared them of mud. He squinted up at her and took in her appearance. She was covered in mud from head to toe. Her hair was mud-slicked and stuck to her head like a helmet. Any makeup she had had was long gone and her clothes were torn revealing a good part of her thigh and shoulder. He looked at the river, then back to her. He heaved himself to his feet, staggering slightly.  
"I believe I owe you a debt of gratitude," he spoke stiffly. "Thank you for saving me from drowning." He bowed his head slightly.  
"What did you expect? I couldn't let you drown. I still need you to get me out of here." She practically snarled. "Now if you're done slowing us down, could we get under cover before those hunters peg us off?" 

They made their slippery way up the embankment and headed for the treeline. As they reached the trees a shot rang out and a bullet struck the tree they were next to. Before they could react Angelique cried out in pain. An arrow stuck out of her upper arm. They moved further into the tree cover. Crouching behind some shrubs and boulders, Illya examined her arm. Without a word he snapped the shaft and pushed it through her arm. She screamed and struck him. She connected with his temple and he fell over. He shook his head and glared at her. Without a word he ripped the sleeve from his shirt and tore it into strips. He bandaged her arm as she tried to keep the nausea at bay. "Try taking deep breaths through your nose." She glared at him but did as he suggested. "We need to keep moving" She nodded and slowly got to her feet. They moved further into the trees trying to put as much distance between Staller and his hunting party. 

Solo stopped when he heard the shot. He tried to figure from which direction it had come from. He and his team began moving but came to a stop again as they heard a woman scream. He recognized it and winced. Angelique. He picked up the pace and headed in what he hoped was the right direction. Raymond Styles smiled as he heard Angelique scream. He was getting quite the fun of picturing his boss traipsing around the forest. The smile he had on his faced quickly disappeared when he realized he was going to have to deal with her once she was back. He had given a lot of thought to how he could salvage the mission that had started all this. Angelique had let him know that the U.N.C.L.E. agent Kuryakin was with her. Styles had made arrangements with his men to apprehend the Russian as soon as they had found them. He had his own helicopters waiting for his signal. Once he made contact they would move in, disable the U.N.C.L.E. copters and they would make a clean getaway. He signaled his men to quicken their pace.

Illya's body felt like it was on fire. Every breath hurt beyond words and his head had decided to thrum to its own beat. The pain was behind his eyes which were having a hard time focusing. He was exhausted. Angelique wasn't doing much better. The adrenaline just wasn't flowing anymore. They stopped at the top of a rise and looked around for someplace to hide. It was still raining and thanks to the stint in the river they were soaked to the bone. Illya had a fever and the chills. He really needed to get them out of the rain They were desperately searching for some cover when a shot rang out. It struck Illya in the leg and sent him down the rise they had been standing on. Angelique threw herself down to him and tried to look at the wound.  
"Get out of here." Illya yelled as he pushed her away. "Go before they arrive.'' She stared at him for a moment then pushed herself up. There were sounds of whooping and laughing coming towards them. She took off towards the treeline; stopping for a moment to look back at Illya. He was still on the ground trying to get under some cover.

Staller and his men came out of the trees laughing and joking. They came up to Illya and Staller crouched down to look him in the eye. "Well well U.N.C.L.E. agent, you weren't that hard to find. You left a trail a mile wide."  
"You'll have to forgive me; I am not at my best."  
Staller slapped him across the face and gave his leg a hard punch. Illya saw red as the pain threatened to make him lose consciousness. He concentrated on his breathing until the feeling passed. Staller had stood up and lit a cigarette. He stared at Illya with hatred. He suddenly grabbed him by the hair and held a gun to his head. Every man in the group was suddenly very quiet. They watched Staller; trying to see how far he was going to take this. None of them thought he was actually going to kill Illya. They figured they would hunt him down, scare the piss out of him, beat him then let him go. No one had actually thought he had been serious about killing. They froze when they heard the gun being cocked. Hanley stepped forward.  
"Look Mr. Staller, I don't think this is what you want to do." He slowly made his way to where he was standing. "I mean why kill him? He's trained to accept death. Killing him wont get you payback for Lauren's death. Teach him a good lesson then let him live with the guilt the rest of his days. Even better, ruin him for his career. Stop him from doing what he was trained for." Staller stared at Hanley for several long moments then dropped Illyas head and uncocked his gun.  
"You have a point there. Maybe killing him is letting him off too easy." The others murmured agreement. Staller looked around and finally noticed that Angelique was nowhere to be found. He kicked Illya and asked, "Wheres the girl?"  
"Shaking his head Illya answered, "I don't know. She left me behind once I was shot. She didn't mention where she was going." Staller punched him in the head. Illya lay sprawled on the ground seeing stars. He prepared himself for the beating he was sure was coming.

Angelique ran blindly through the forest not caring where she was going. She was just trying to put space between her and Staller's hunting party and that damned Russian. She ran straight into Napoleon's arms. She struggled and fought to get away not realizing who it was. "Let go of me! Let go I say!!" She swung with all her might and connected with Napoleon's head.  
"Hey! Take it easy! Angelique! It's me, Napoleon." She stopped abruptly and stared at him. Suddenly she was wrapped around him in a fierce hug. Napoleon hugged her back, trying to calm her with a soothing tone and gentle words. He should have known better. She pushed away and glared at him and his team. She ran a hand over her hair and clothes trying to collect herself. Finally, with as much dignity and haughtiness she could muster she addressed Napoleon.  
"Darling what took you so long?"  
"Well," Napoleon said as he raised an eyebrow at her attitude. "We had a bit of a time with your directions. As in we had to capture one of yours so we could find one of ours. Speaking of which. Where is our favorite Russian?"  
"He's back there somewhere." Angelique motioned with her hand behind her with a huff.  
"How about you show us where exactly."  
"How about you let the lady go." came the voice of Raymond Styles. They all turned to see him and his men standing behind them. He signaled for the men to hand over their weapons. Once unarmed Styles stepped over to Angelique and offered her his jacket. Napoleon had never seen Angelique grateful. He wasn't sure he liked it. She shrugged into the jacket and sighed with relief as the warmth touched her skin. She promised herself then and there she would never be dirty, wet, and cold every again. Styles ordered his men to handcuff the U.N.C.L.E. men. All except Napoleon.  
"You Mr. Solo are coming with us. T.H.R.U.S.H is anxious to have you as a guest at central HQ." He radioed for the helicopters and waved for Solo to move. They were heading for the clearing that was just beyond a copse of trees nearby. Angelique armed herself and walked behind Solo. Styles took the lead. Half way through the trees she pretended to trip and "bumped" into Napoleon; practically handing the gun to him. 

Napoleon acted quickly and held her hostage. "Hold up Mr. Styles!" He turned around and glared at him.” I’m sorry but I am going to have to decline Central's invitation." They could hear the helicopters coming closer. Styles ordered his men to keep their weapons on Solo. He walked over to him and Angelique.  
"Let go of her. Now!"  
"I'm afraid I can't. She's my ticket to get away from you and find my partner. You know the one she left back there somewhere." Napoleon mimicked Angelique's earlier action when she described Illya's location.."More than likely he is in trouble and needs my help. Am I right Angelique?" He shook her by the arm. She glared at him but said nothing. Styles cocked his gun and took aim. Instinctively Solo moved Angelique out of harms way. Angelique gave a heavy sigh and stepped back in front of Napoleon. 

Staring at Styles she spoke to Napoleon." Go away darling I'm getting bored.'' Styles took a step forward but she stopped with a hand on his chest. ''Let him go Ryan. I owe his nasty little partner for saving me. We'll call this mission done and fight another day." Without a backward glance, she walked away. Styles watched her go then turned to Napoleon.  
''You lucked out this time Solo.'' Napoleon smiled and bowed his head. "Next time you won't be so lucky.'' He spun on his heel and walked away; yelling at his men to follow. Napoleon was running back to his men before they had reached the trees.

Illya's back was screaming in pain. The root he had fallen on felt like cement. So far three of the six men had taken a punch and or kick at him. He lost count how many times Staller had taken his shots at him. He was pretty sure every one of his ribs was damaged and something had fractured in the leg he had been shot in. Was there anything else that could happen to him? Suddenly the atmosphere changed. There was a new tension in the air. He was close to passing out so wasn't sure what was happening. Then he heard it. A voice. A voice he didn't think he was going to hear again. Napoleon. His partner had arrived and from the sound of it he wasn't very happy. 

The men backed away from Illya except for Staller who was crouched down grabbing Illya by the hair again. He stared at Napoleon daring him to try and stop him. He raised his fist.  
"Don't." One word said calmly. One word that carried a multitude of meaning. Napoleon never took his eyes of Staller. Never said anything else. He waited patiently for him to make his decision. The last words Christian Staller heard were "Wrong choice." The bullet hit him in the heart and knocked him off his feet. He was still holding Illya's hair

Medical as usual was more than happy to send the moody Russian home with his partner. Four days was about as long as any of the staff could deal with him. Napoleon was happy to oblige and settled his partner in his spare bedroom. Illya could barely keep his eyes open after the trip home. He fell asleep before Napoleon could cover him with the blankets. He had just poured himself a second drink when the doorman buzzed him. "Mr. Solo? Sorry to bother you but there is a young lady that would like to speak to you. She says she won't come up. You have to come down," 

He was pretty sure he knew who the young lady was and made sure his special's safety was off and the sleeper darts were loaded. Just before he left he grabbed something he had put in his coat pocket. The elevator opened and he stepped into the foyer and looked for her. Her perfume reached him before she did. He turned around and smiled at Angelique.  
"Darling how are you? I hope all is well."  
"Hello Angelique. I'm quite fine thank you."  
"And that nasty little Russian partner of yours?" Napoleon smiled. There was no love loss between her and Illya but he could tell her question was genuine. He couldn't help himself and teased her.  
"Be careful Angelique people might get the impression that you're warming up to Mr. Kuryakin."  
"Don't be vulgar Napoleon." He laughed and patted her arm. 

She watched him with a small smile. "I've come to ask a favor" She pulled a paper from her wallet and handed it to him. He saw that it was a note and read it. He looked at her completely at a loss to understand what she was up to. "What is the favor?"  
"Give that to the nas....."  
"Ah ah ah.....be nice. After all he did save your life and protected your identity from a mad man."  
"Fine. Please give that note to.... Mr. Kuryakin." She said Illya's name through gritted teeth.  
"I want it back before everyone knows" Solo read the note out loud "What is it?"  
"None of your business."  
"Tell me or no favor," Napoleon was having too much fun. She glared at him for a good two minutes before finally giving in.  
"Fine! If you must know there is a certain piece of clothing I want back. "What clothing? Shoes?" Napoleon could barely keep a straight face.  
"Not shoes you idiot!"  
"Then what? A purse, gloves, a hat....or perhaps something more... intimate?" With that said he pulled her corset from his pocket and dangled it in front of her 

She quickly snatched it back and glared at him. "How could you? Have you no shame!"  
"Isn't that calling the kettle black? After all, you're the one who lent your intimates to a man you claim to despise.Tell the truth Angelique. You wanted to know how Illya was doing. You may not like him but you have to respect his actions."  
"Augh!You....you....." Unable to find what to say to him she turned on her spiked heel and stormed out the door not waiting for the doorman to do his job. Napoleon laughed all the way back to his apartment. He checked on Illya and found him trying to sit up. He helped him and put more pillows behind him to make him more comfortable. He sat down in the chair next to the bed. "You'll never guess who came to visit."  
" Napoleon I have a grand headache which does not allow for guessing"  
"Alright. But first answer a question I've wanted to ask you since you were rescued."  
"Okay"  
"When did you start wearing women's corsets." Illya gave Napoleon an icy look."It was to help protect my ribs."  
"Uh huh. It seems you enjoy wearing women's clothing. There was the dress you wore in the desert....."  
"It was a burnoose."  
"Sure I understand. You don't own any stockings do you?"  
"Napoleon as I live and breathe I will make you suffer if you tell anyone about the corset."  
"Too late."  
Napoleon was able to sleep for a few nights before Illya became more mobile. At that point he slept with an eye open and on full alert. His wily partner was known to hold a grudge and get his revenge.


End file.
